The Right to Life and Social Justice

There is an annoying habit that exists within the contemporary Church of dividing up the body of Christ into the political: "left" and "right," "liberal" and "conservative."

Liberals generally stand for social justice, the defense of the culturally marginalized, human diversity and the protection of the earth. Conservatives generally stand for the right to life, traditional marriage, sexual morality, hard truths and the Christian work ethic.

These two sides of the Church are pitted one against the other, and in the process, the fullness of the Gospel becomes obscured behind ideological conflicts.

None of us are entirely immune to this. The tendency to think that my kind of Catholicism is the right one is a deeply ingrained habit of fallen man. Consider, for example, the number of religious jokes that begin with, "A Franciscan, a Dominican and a Jesuit ..." In all of these jokes, the humor arises from the perennial disputes between different Catholic orders, each thinking that their particular charism is most treasured and valued by God.

Such conflicts go back to the early Church, when the Christians of Corinth cried, "I belong to Paul," and "I belong to Apollos" (1 Corinthians 3:4).

Today, we might instead cry, "I am for Francis," "I am for Benedict," "I am for social justice" or "I am for the unborn." Whatever our particular allegiances are, there is a little place in the heart where we rankle at those who represent the other "side."

Many complain about how parishes are full of "those people," developing contemptuous epithets to describe them: "RepubliCatholics," "Cafeteria Catholics," "The Holy Marines" and "The Judas Shuffle." Those aren’t the real Catholics. The "real Catholics" are people like me, many think.

Such divisions are born out of a misunderstanding of the nature of the body of Christ. As God told St. Catherine of Siena, "I distribute the virtues quite diversely; I do not give all of them to each person, but some to one, some to others. ... I shall give principally charity to one; justice to another; humility to this one, a living faith to that one. ... And so I have given many gifts and graces, both spiritual and temporal, with such diversity that I have not given everything to one single person, so that you may be constrained to practice charity towards one another. ... I have willed that one should need another and that all should be my ministers in distributing the graces and gifts they have received from me" (Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena, i, 7).

When we feel superior for having virtues which others lack, we place these gifts at the service of our own pride rather than using them to build up the Church. If we look at other people’s talents with contempt or suspicion, this is a form of ingratitude that breaks down the bonds of solidarity and love that unite us into One Body.

Life within the Church demands a variety of charisms, which must work together, not divide the Church against herself. We might consider Pope Francis’ analogy of a "field hospital." There is a place for the doctor who says, "That leg will have to be amputated," and there is a place also for the nurse who holds the patient’s hand and grieves with him over the loss. These two aspects of healing need each other. Without the surgeon, the nurse is helpless in the face of disease, unable to offer anything except palliative care. Without the nurse, the surgeon is helpless in the face of despair, unable to offer anything except a prolongation of misery.

The relationship between the right to life and social justice is an example of this kind of complementary care for the dignity of the human person.

"The Church forcefully maintains this link between life ethics and social ethics, fully aware that a society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized" (Caritas in Veritate).

It is incoherent to claim that the life of a homeless man or a starving child has inalienable dignity but that the life of an unborn person or a person with severe disabilities does not. In most cases, socioeconomic circumstances play a significant role in the decision to abort an unborn child. Abortion permits the perpetuation of avaricious and rapacious systems: The guilt that people feel over visible poverty is assuaged by the gruesome expediency of killing the poor before they are born.

It is also incoherent to claim that the life of an unborn child has inalienable dignity but that it’s okay to bend the criteria for just war or to fail to support economic policies that ensure the ability of the poor to obtain the necessities of life. If we want to stop the abortion holocaust, then we should also work vigilantly to secure peace and oppose economic injustice.

The Church’s social teachings are not a bone that the Church throws to the "liberals," nor are her teachings on human sexuality the fruit of celibate erotophobia. Rather, the Church’s teachings are a manifestation of her concern for the marginalized. All Church teaching is a manifestation of her concern for the deepest happiness of man, which is rooted in the truth about man’s nature and dignity.

As Blessed John Paul II expressed it, "Just as a century ago it was the working classes which were oppressed in their fundamental rights, and the Church very courageously came to their defense by proclaiming the sacrosanct rights of the worker as a person, so now, when another category of persons is being oppressed in the fundamental right to life, the Church feels duty-bound to speak out with the same courage on behalf of those who have no voice. Hers is always the evangelical cry in defense of the world’s poor, those who are threatened and despised and whose human rights are violated" (Evangelium Vitae).

John Paul II also pointed out that the right to life is primary, "The inviolability of the person, which is a reflection of the absolute inviolability of God, finds its primary and fundamental expression in the inviolability of human life. Above all, the common outcry which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination" (Christifideles Laici, 38).

Abortion is the gravest and most direct attack on the right to life, and the practice of sidestepping this issue by proposing a vague and fashionable attitude of respect for human life cannot be justified. Catholics should, however, be aware that serious economic injustice is also opposed to the Fifth Commandment: "Those whose usurious and avaricious dealings lead to the hunger and death of their brethren in the human family indirectly commit homicide, which is imputable to them" (Catechism, 2269).

The teaching of the Church is indivisible. As Pope Francis put it, "The Church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently." When the Church becomes a "house divided" by political ideologies, she ceases to manifest that truth in love, love in truth, which is the hallmark of authentic Christian witness.

Comments

It is also incoherent to claim that the life of an unborn child has inalienable dignity but that it’s okay to bend the criteria for just war or to fail to support economic policies that ensure the ability of the poor to obtain the necessities of life.

I think the whole problem with the abortion and social justice divide is that we are always focussing on the effect - the dead child, the hungry poor.

We are a nation guided by the paracetamol mindset - get rid of the pain but not the cause.

What we need to reiterate is sin. And the sad fact is that we shy from mentioning sin. It’s just not cool to talk about sin. The murdered baby and the poverty stricken hobo are all results of sin.

The sin of the mother who wants to live life the way she pleases and the sin of greed that abounds. And the reality is that even the poor can be corrupt and greedy. If the tables were turned and those on the bottom of the economic ladders were suddenly at the top, we will still have the same situation, the rich will still oppress the poor.

We cannot legislate morality. At best it will be a temporary stop gap until we find ingenious way to circumvent the law.

And yet we rail on and on about social justice - just don’t mention sin- don’t mention greed, don’t mention self-idolatry.

So long as we treat only the symptom, the disease will keep festering. Sure we need to take some Panadol, but the abcess needs anti-biotic and we need to be aware that there is an abscess.

What we need is forgiveness of sin. And this is what Jesus brings. We need to bring God back into every nook and cranny of society. Jesus did not come to abolish unjust economic systems. He came to forgive sins.

Posted by Kathy on Sunday, Jan 19, 2014 10:48 PM (EDT):

What is surprising is that you write for a paper owned by ETWN, founded by Mother Angelica, who was relentlessly attacked by the liberal left in the Church for over 25 years for spreading the authentic teachings of Christ and HIs Church. The main problem that has existed these past 40 years comes from those who have attempted to subvert the true teachings of the Church and in doing so have caused many to lose their faith, especially among young people, myself included. It was Mother Angelica and her unrelenting faith and trust in God, that brought us the beauty of truth through EWTN that I was brought back to the authentic Catholic faith as were millions of others.

The Church teaches that there is a hierarchy of values and the right to life is at the top of the list and all Catholics should be upholding this truth. It is not as you say part of a complementary of care, it is an essential foundational teaching of the Church. Yes people have different gifts to put at the service of the Church, but that does not imply that one believes one teaching of the Church more than another, or discounts one over another. I do not think that was what Jesus was talking to St Catherine of Siena about either. I just wonder what Mother Angelica would say.

Posted by Arthur Mattei on Sunday, Jan 19, 2014 5:04 PM (EDT):

This piece is one of the more intelligent attempts to reconcile the dichotomy between let’s call them the “social justice” and “pro-life” elements within the Church. However, after many years of pro-life work and having studied and read much on the Church, I have come to the inescapable conclusion that it is the pro-life folks who are far more into the basics of the faith. These are the people who are at daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, pray the Rosary, go to confession, among other indicators. I don’t know what the author considers to be “more Catholic,” but I’ll bet my wad on the people who are practicing their faith with deeper fervor - and that’s usually the pro-life crowd!

Posted by James on Sunday, Jan 19, 2014 12:01 PM (EDT):

Seeing as the author is Canadian, I doubt she puts horribly much stock in US political issues.

Posted by Jill LoBiondo on Monday, Jan 13, 2014 10:47 AM (EDT):

I agree with most of what you say about the prolife slumber. We all have to ask ourselves if we are doing enough. With that said the Supreme Court did not say Obamacare was constitutional. The Supreme Court rewrote the law . . . wait for it . . which is unconstituional! Also, many Catholics are now faced with a grave dilemma. How can we sign up for Obamacare and have our money fund abortions? We can’t. My family is opting out and we cannot afford anything else. So we will suffer the consequences. If all Catholics did this, we could make a big difference. And I for one really liked the government being shut down. I think they should do it more often. I would also say that I would not wait for a leader to organize us. You sound passionate enough to be one of those leaders. May God Bless Us

Posted by Barto of the Oratory on Sunday, Jan 12, 2014 9:28 PM (EDT):

To me the problem is that WE in the Pro-Life movement have caved into the basic premise of the Pro-Abortion movement: that the life of an unborn human is not worth as much as the life of humans that have been born. The proof of this situation is, I think, simple and clear. Fifty million unborn children have been murdered in the USA through abortion since 1973. Would Catholics have let 50 million live-born infants be murdered in the USA? Would we have tolerated that? Would Catholics have let 50 million members of some racial or religious minority be rounded up and executed by the government or by gangs? We all know the answer is no, no, no. But we all sleep soundly, YEAR AFTER YEAR, decade after decade, and pat ourselves on the back for a once-a-year “March for Life” that gets 20 seconds of coverage on the evening news for one evening. (I went one year) Then we go back to our soap operas and football games and zesty Doritos with bean dip. No one would ever know a Holocaust was happening in the USA. The trains are still running to Auschwitz, but “conservatives” in the House of Representatives shut down the government for 2 weeks in 2013 NOT because of the 50 million dead and counting, but because they think Obamacare is unconstitutional (the Supreme Court said it wasnt’) and unAmerican. Maybe it is unAmerican—but WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT COMPARED to the blood of our 50 million innocent little brothers and sisters? The trains are still running to Auschwitz. There is no Pro-Life movement. We in the Pro-Life movement are all on the 500 Year Plan—we are content to “stay in the fight” for unborn even if it takes 500 years. But someone might ask: What else can we do? Ever hear of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Ever hear of the Letter from the Birmingham Jail? Ever read it? Judgment is coming for America. Judgment is coming for the Church. LORD have mercy! LORD, wake us up, just as Isaiah and Jeremiah begged the People of Israel (not their enemies) to wake up and leave off their turning away from the Law of God. I won’t say “Wake us up before it is too late.” It is ALREADY too late. It was too late already in 1974. Fifty million murdered is already too late. But better late than ever. Let us say: “I am not Pro-Life.” That’s just a slogan used by cynical politicos as a cover to elect guys whose only real agenda is to get rid of the capital gains tax. Instead, let us say: “End the murder of unborn children NOW doing whatever non-violent actions are necessary!” This needs to be organized, of course, just as Dr. King and Gandhi organized big, disruptive marches and sit in that did not end. If we just keep whistling and singing hymns while the pitiful howls and stench keep coming from the trains still running to Auschwitz, then WE deserve whatever we get. Please, LORD, let some men and women of conscience rise up, organize us, and get us out of this fuzzy wuzzy “Pro-Life” slumber! LORD have mercy! Glory be to God thrice holy!

Posted by Jill LoBiondo on Sunday, Jan 12, 2014 4:45 PM (EDT):

From my experience Catholics that are pro-social justice are basically advocating the liberal mindset of a welfare state which I think is gravely immoral. When you mention advancing economic policies to help the marginalized, what would these policies be? As Catholics we may disagree on what policies we think would be best to lift people out of poverty. I think less government, less taxation, etc. would help immensely as there may be more small businesses opened to employ the poor. I also do not think that economic injustice causes women to feel they need to abort. No, that would be the lessening of morals; cohabitation, promiscuity, etc. Also, I am confused about your comment “bending the criteria for just war?” Was there a particular war you had in mind? I can see a confusion generally regarding social justice today. I see it mostly advocating for more government programs like the War on Poverty started 50 years ago which destroyed the black family. This is not true social justice. So when someone says the term social justice I need to know what they mean. I do like what you said regarding violence against the unborn as the greatest evil. This is the greatest social justice issue.

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